Jare wandered slowly through the shelves, enjoying the slightly musty scent of old books. Pausing here and there as one caught her eye, her small bag was slowly filling with precious finds.
She had been here before, of course. Nearly every day, in fact; she worked here. But it also seemed that at the start of every shift, there was something new to find. The joy of the hunt, of the new treasures and special items, were a constant joy. As she moved she gently returned a few of the items she carried to where they belonged, as if they were her flock that had wandered from its pasture.
And then Jare saw it. The Book. She instantly knew what it was, as there were only a few copies in existence. With a slight cold feeling of shock in her system, she pulled down the simple brown hardcover, handbound. She ran a slightly shaking hand along the cover, feeling the embossing. She opened the cover.
“To my dearest sister, with all my love. May you find what you seek. Signed, Jare.”
A hollow feeling of sickness hit the pit of her stomach, replacing the initial chill. Why would Jain do this? Why wouldn’t she just say something? If she didn’t want the book, there were others Jare could have given it to. Not only that, why give it to the very place that the author worked, knowing that she could come across it and wonder? The whole thing made no sense, as Jare’s mind started reeling.
And now Jare wouldn’t even be seeing her sister for months, possibly years, while Jain was studying with the Travelers. Jain was notoriously bad at communicating long distance. The monthly updates she was forced to send by her leadership were just about the only time Jare ever heard anything. She hoped that Jain would at least learn better communication through the courses – although she doubted it.
Shaking herself a little, she gently placed this precious treasure into her bag. Clearly it needed a better home. And she would have to deal with her wayward sister later. But her thoughts were troubled after that, and she had lost the taste to find treasures for the day. Ten days until the next monthly update, but she would definitely be sending a message today. Jain had to know it had been found.
–To Be Continued